In many applications, it is desirable to both transmit outgoing pulses of laser energy and to receive energy from the target during the interpulse intervals along the same but reciprocal optical path. The alignment system for such a reciprocal path optical system typically separates the outgoing and received optical energies along a common optical aperture, detects the relative mis-alignment therebetween, and corrects the relative mis-alignment between the outgoing and received optical energies to maintain subsequent pulses both on-target and infocus. Such optical systems are often called upon to provide very high-power and extremely precise alignment accuracy while minimizing the physical dimensions of the various system components to provide maximum system integrability.